Age Difference
by Darkfirelight
Summary: Clark Kent is six years younger than Chloe Sullivan; What happens when he meets the pretty blonde on a journalistic venture in Smallville? Why, she drags the cute "kid" along with her.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

Summary: Clark Kent is six years younger than Chloe Sullivan; What happens when he meets the pretty blonde on a journalistic venture in Smallville? Why, she drags the cute "kid" along with her.

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><p>Chloe Sullivan pursed her lips as she stared out the window, surveying the rural countryside with a grimace. Once upon a time she'd actually grown up in this place; Smallville had been the journalistic reporter's "home" for nearly seven years; From the age of twelve to the age of nineteen she'd grown up amidst hay-balers and small-town gossips, the only interesting things being the school paper and the "Meteor freaks".<p>

Smallville had been hit by a meteor shower nearly sixteen years ago; The young reporter's parents had been driving through and their car had been pushed off the road by one, injuring both her and her mother. Apparently the trauma of the event was, in small part at least, responsible for her mother's hospitalization in Bell Reeve Asylum. The blonde, to this day, would remember coming home to find her father sitting at the table, tears running down the usually cheerful man's cheeks as he told her the news.

Her last memories of the woman had been her smile as she handed her her breakfast. It was a silly thing to remember, but she'd had waffles that morning moments before saying goodbye to one of her parental figures. They'd moved here the year after and the normally outgoing girl had been withdrawn for the better part of two years.

Shaking herself out of old memories, Chloe turned back to the window, grimace turning to a small smile. While her highschool experience hadn't been the best, what with her bold nature, disdain for cheer-leading and lack of stimulating conversation, she still had good memories of the humdrum "Meteor Capital of the world."

It was as she pulled up to her current destination; The home of two of the nicest people Chloe had had the fortune of meeting in this town and two people that had practically force-fed her and her father their fruits and vegetables for those years that they'd have otherwise lived off of microwave meals and cheap macaroni and casseroles, (And no offense to her father; But he _couldn't _cook. His macaroni was practically a death sentence.) that she finally admitted to the trepidation that the small town brought forth. But she was back, finally, to solve the whole "Meteor mutation" phenomena and shake off the jeers of her co-workers, at long last. A little nervousness wouldn't stop her.

That didn't stop her from fiddling with the blonde locks hanging in front of her face as she pulled up in front of the warm-blue home and stopped the car, stepping out and taking a deep breathe.

She paced up to the house, not allowing any second guessing to cloud her thoughts, and rung the doorbell. Moments later the door was answered.

Her green eyes widened as she took in the figure standing in front of her, from the muscles that near-strained the obviously not-new blue shirt and-thank-you-god-for-that to the chiseled, model-like features, complete with stunning blue eyes and a wild mop of thick, black hair. "Can I help you?" The Adonis asked, towering over her.

"Y-Yes." She composed herself under the confused, wary gaze locked onto her face, nodding briskly. "Do Martha and Jonathan Kent live here?" She queried, brow furrowed with worry. She hadn't imagined that Mr. Kent would ever sell the farm, but people changed and it _had _been a long time since she was last here.

"DAD, MOM!" The man shouted out, and her jaw dropped as she recognized the massive hunk as the skinny, mildly-gangly boy that had once shyly handed her a copy of the Daily Planet after she had bemoaned the lack of it in front of the Kent's.

Jonathan Kent answered the door, slightly more weathered but otherwise just as she remembered him. "Can I help you?" He asked, just as wary as his son as he took in the Daily Planet pass affixed to her lapel. She felt vaguely hurt that he didn't remember but she smiled as the redhead matriarch of the family appeared next to him.

Mrs. Kent had a few wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, mostly laugh-lines, but she was still just as stunning as she had been when she'd chuckled at the promiscuous little girl who "Reminded her of herself as a child". Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Chloe?" She gasped.

Jonathan's eyes flickered with confusion, but then he noticed her name-tag and he, too, recognized her. "Chloe!" He spoke warmly, smiling at the girl.

"Come on in, Do you want something to drink? I've got cookies in the oven." The older woman ushered her into the house, near-dragging her to take a seat in the living room.

"Uh, some coffee would be great, thanks." She said meekly, earning a fond chuckle from the redhead.

"I should've guessed that." She bustled into the kitchen, leaving Chloe alone in the living room. She noticed Jonathan talking to Clark in the corner of her eye and watched as the younger of the two first squinted at her and then, listening to his father's words, tilted his head as though remembering something a long time ago and then, finally, the pieces clicked together, and he remembered her.

She wasn't surprised that he'd forgotten her; They'd only seen each other about three, maybe four times, each time briefer than the last, but now that she had seen him she was pretty sure she wouldn't be forgetting him any time soon.

The tall youth came into the living room, his father walking into the kitchen and leaving the two of them alone. "So... I didn't recognize you." He started awkwardly.

She grinned and relaxed, trying to hide the blubbering teenage girl inside currently looking out and screaming at the top of her lungs '_YES, YES, OH HELLS YEAH!' _"Gotta admit, I didn't recognize you either, you've gotten tall." She chuckled, trying to ease out of the tension in the room. "So you'd be about... Fifteen?"

"Sixteen." He corrected with a magnificent smile. "Yeah, I hit about six foot when I was fourteen and then kept getting bigger." He joked, oblivious to her wandering eyes.

Strong, Handsome (with a capital "H"), legal, polite and kind... God, if he were any more perfect... "So, what do you do around the town?" She questioned casually.

"Well, most of the time I work at the farm." _Too good! _"But I'm on the football team as well," _And there we go..._ "I also do the sports section for the Torch. With all the weird things around town I generally got caught up in the middle of it all and eventually I got pushed into the role of editor." He shrugged.

Chloe resisted the urge to jump him there and then, shifting her focus onto those last words. "Oh! I was the editor as well." She grinned. "Is it still as weird around town as it used to be?"

"If by 'Weird' you mean 'Dangerous' then, yeah, it's bizarre." He shook his head, obviously remembering the strange things around town. "Bug-boys, electric nut-jobs, shape-shifters..." He started off with double-meanings and then, upon realizing that she didn't think he was a wacko, carried on with more confidence. "A guy who turned himself young again, a girl who could turn people to ashes with a touch..." He shook his head once more.

"I had to deal with a fire-throwing coach and a de-aging youth-sucking old woman obsessed with her glory years. Not to mention a psychotic cheerleader who could manipulate her _bones _and a stretching guy." She paused. "Speaking of stretching..."

As though he were psychic Clark chimed in, finishing the sentence. "Hank the mechanic?" She blinked as they briefly synchronized. "I know, right! I thought I was the only one who noticed that!" He nodded vigorously.

The spend a moment just laughing, remembering the various strange things around the town.

"So, is that's why you're here?" He asked almost nervously.

The petite blonde nodded, watching as he appeared even more nervous with that gesture. "Not so much the "Meteor freak" angle, some of these people are actually good and don't deserve the unwanted attention." He relaxed back into his seat at her words and clarity struck her. That would explain it. Nonetheless she shoo'ed that thought away. She had learnt the hard way that some people deserved their privacy, powers or no. "But more the "Why". Why do people get affected by the meteors? How does it happen? What affects the changes?" She listed off.

"I get it." He furrowed his brow. "But aren't you afraid you'll get into danger?"

"Truthfully," She shook her head, smiling and blushing. "I'm more afraid of getting lost. I haven't been here in years." She explained.

For a moment the large farmboy hesitated, then, as though he were subjecting himself to a walk through fire, he spoke. "I could show you around."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter two:**

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><p>"Clark, I can't believe you would just volunteer like this without even asking us first." Jonathan berated his son, a disapproving frown in place.<p>

The sixteen-year-old rolled his eyes at his father's over-protectiveness. "Dad, it's not a problem. I'm just showing her around the town; She said she knew where the basic things were, so I'm just showing her around. Checking out the caves, some of the fields and the local quarry, just places like that. She offered to pay, y'know." He defended, returning the look.

Jonathan sighed. "Clark, Chloe's a nice girl, and her father's a good man; We watched her grow up into the reporter she is today, but if there's one thing that's stuck with us, it's her persistence. Once she finds an angle she will not let it go. She's been investigating the meteor rocks for a lot longer than just now; She'd go on about them when she was fifteen, as well."

"So what are you saying, that I should just let her stumble around on her own? Dad, you know how dangerous the woods can be; and the entire reason the caves were even found was because I fell through one of the openings. Is that what you want?"

"Son..." Jonathan pursed his lips, realizing a losing battle when he saw one. "Just... Be careful. I don't want your face plastered across the front page of the Daily Planet, understood?"

Clark nodded seriously, acknowledging his point. "I'll be careful, dad. She won't see me so much as _look_ at her weirdly."

"Clark, you just..." The older man sighed once more at his son's obliviousness. "Try not to talk, as well." He advised, rubbing the bridge of his nose and ignoring Clark's offended stare.

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><p>"Hey!" Chloe waved a greeting at the plaid-clad youth as he made his way toward her.<p>

"Hi." He returned, smiling at her in a way that made her feel light-headed for a moment. "You got everything ready?" He queried, glancing down at her equipment.

The blonde shifted slightly so that her camera was placed properly and nodded in response. "Yeah, so where would you recommend going first?"

"Well..." He seemed taken aback for a brief moment, but quickly put some thought into the question. "I'd say the fields were the most affected by the meteor rocks, but the woods and the caves are close to each other, so how about there?"

"Sure." She chirped, turning to walk to her VW Beetle. "Wanna take my car, or your truck?"

"I'd recommend my truck," He started, stopping her in her tracks. "It's gonna be pretty muddy and unless you wanna mess up your tires I think it would be for the best. If that's okay with you?" He explained with a sheepish grin.

"That's fine." The blonde shrugged, moving to the door of his truck. "I just hope you're not just tricking me into following you to the middle of nowhere so that you can have your wicked way with me." She grinned as he blushed, stammering adorably. Living in the big city it was easy to forget the kind of manners you found in a small town farming community. "I'm joking, Clark."

The overly sensitive boy's blush deepened slightly, but he nonetheless stepped into the truck.

"So," Chloe started as he drove. "I read up on you. Apparently you found the caves, right?" She queried.

He seemed startled when she mentioned reading up on him, but relaxed when she mentioned the caves. "I- Yeah. I fell through the roof." He said sheepishly, shrugging without taking his eyes off the road.

Nodding to herself, Chloe continued. "And apparently a lot of wacky things happen around town and you just happen to be there."

Clark frowned, eyes still on the road, though he tensed as she spoke. "I'm just lucky, I guess." He spoke with the deliberate coolness of someone attempting to avoid questioning.

"I'm not judging or anything." She hurried to assure him, waving away any offence she may have bought about. "I just... It's kind of amazing, how you've been around for all of these people. Pretty brave."

His eyes widened at her words, apparently not having considered that angle. "I don't know what you mean." He defended with genuine confusion colouring his tone.

She smiled at his obliviousness. "Clark, there have been murders, kidnappings... Everything from purse snatching to bank robbery, assault to attempted murder. And not once have you left a person in need." She laid out the facts. "I get that you want to keep it a secret, but anyone with half a brain and an eye for detail can tell that you've seen more than your fair share of trouble, and in more than just a witness capacity."

"I-" He stopped, frowning. "I'm just a normal guy. I can't help getting into trouble sometimes." He sighed.

"I get that, but you don't just let other people get hurt in the process. You actually try to help them, don't you?"

He blinked, turning his gaze away from the road for a brief moment to eye her quizzically. "Yeah, doesn't everyone?"

She smiled and looked out her window, ruminating on the farmboy's unknowing ethics. Bravery like that wasn't easy to come across. Especially in a small town like this. If more people thought like Clark Kent then maybe the world would be just that little bit better.

"We're here." He informed, turning to stare at the edge of the forested area.

She grinned and hopped out of the bright red truck, chuckling as she noted just how similar in colour Clark's jacket was. "Great!" She chirped cheerily, marching towards the border. "Where first?"

"Hold up a minute." He protested, locking the door of the truck and following her in. "The caves are that way." He pointed in a direction that led to a camouflaged path into the woods.

She slowed, allowing him to take lead and jogging slightly to match his long stride. "Alright, but first why don't you show me some of the places more affected by the meteor shower.

"I thought you wanted to see the local landmarks."

"I do." She assured, wondering why he was suddenly staring at her like she had grown two heads. "I just want to get some photos of the outlying areas, y'know; Craters, creeks, rock faces. Basic geometrical differences. The little things mean a lot to a journalist." She lectured, following as he absently started walking in a random direction, hanging onto her words.

"So you want pictures of the meteor rocks and the damage they caused." He simplified.

"Yep. That firm grasp of the obvious'll be a boon in the newspaper industry." She extolled. "I'm serious! Too many people overlook what's right in front of them. It's why a lot of crimes go unsolved." She hurried to explain at his dejected look.

"Right." He came to a stop, overlooking one of the fields in town with little vegetation. The fence on the other side kept it out of view. "Here's one."

After taking a few shots with her camera she turned to him expectantly, raising an eyebrow and prompting him to turn and walk back into the woods, leading her on a ten minute trek through the forested area. "What's this?" She asked him, staring at the decimated structure in front of them.

"One of the old windmills that got hit. Apparently this land used to be owned by my friend Pete's dad until he got bought out by the Luthors. They opened up a factory but left this place alone for some reason."

She stared at the broken aged wood jutting out of the branches, thick foliage crisscrossing through the wooden mesh. "And why did you think this was photo worthy?"

"Well... Apparently the Kawatchee think that it's cursed ground. They even tried to get it fenced off." He frowned, thinking of the event in question. "They said that it was a place of "Green death". Everyone thought they were being superstitious, that it was just the Luthor plant affecting the area. They didn't have any proof though. But..." He trailed off.

"But you think that it may have been caused by the meteor that hit." She finished, praising him as she lifted her camera. "Good catch!"

Now that she looked at the surroundings properly, she couldn't help noticing that the woods seemed gnarled with a density to it that the others didn't have, and the leaves seemed darker than the others.

"So, onto the caves." She spoke enthusiastically, turning to the plaid-clad teen. "Onwards!" She commanded imperiously, the glint in her eyes revealing her teasing.

"Alright." Clark acquiesced, chuckling.

As he turned to lead her to the nearest cave entrance she cast her gaze down to his jeans, smirking as he walked. For a budding reporter knowledge was her bread and butter, so the fact that she was getting dinner and a view out of the deal took the sting out of the long walk that she was led on.

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><p>AN: Sorry that not much goes on in this chapter. It's more a filler leading up to the story than an actual chapter. Now that the next chapter is clean to start on I should be able to get more done and in a better style. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

**Chapter three:**

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><p>"So Clark, I heard you were skulking around the woods the other day with a hot blonde. Wanna share with the rest of the class?"<p>

Clark rolled his eyes as the shorter boy. "I was just showing her around Pete."

"I'll bet." He grinned, giving him a look. "So who's the lucky lady?" He pressured.

"You remember when we were kids? The reporter for the high school paper?"

Pete furrowed his brow in thought. "What, Chloe Sullivan?"

Clark blinked. "Wait, you _know_ her?"

"No. But I kinda had a crush on her way back. You dog!" He jabbed, smirking as he nudged at Clark. "So, you met her in the woods and decided to go do some 'journalistic exploration'?" He leered.

"Get your mind out of the gutter." The plaid-clad youth shook his head in exasperation. "She just wanted to look around the woods and the Kawatchee caves."

"I'll bet." Pete grinned.

"I'm serious!" Clark protested, blushing. "She's visiting the town while she does a report on the meteor rocks." He explained.

"Huh. Is she staying in town?"

Clark blinked, ruminating on the question. "I... Don't know. It's none of my business anyway, Pete!" He huffed.

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><p>"I couldn't possibly...!" Chloe protested as the Kent matriarch ushered her into the spare room, ignoring the arguments against it.<p>

"Nonsense, we're happy to have you. If you're going to be staying in town you need a place to _stay_ Chloe. It's an hours drive back to Metropolis." Martha pointed out, gently pushing her into the room.

"Well, I-" As much as she hated to admit it the older woman did have a point about the commute. "-I guess you're right. Thanks Mrs. Kent." She finally relented.

"Call me Martha dear." The redhead brushed off with a small smile. "Have you spoken to your father since getting here? I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"He got a promotion and moved to the West coast. Didn't he tell you?" The blonde asked, surprised.

Martha paused for a moment, shaking her head. "No. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if he just forgot. That man has the worst case of scatter-brain I've ever seen."

Chloe grinned at her words, setting down her camera and notepad and dropping her bag next to the bed. "Yeah, can't argue with you there." She agreed.

"Anyway, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to give him a call and check up on him. I'm sure he's missing you."

"I suppose, I haven't talked to him in a while..." Chloe pondered.

Downstairs the sound of a door slamming shut was hurt.

"That boy," Martha started, rolling her eyes. "I swear, he does that every time. If you're busy dinner's at six so I'll see you then dear."

"Are you sure you don't want help with the cooking or anything?"

Smirking knowingly, the Kent matriarch shook her head. "If you're anything like your father in the kitchen then no, I'll be just fine." She teased.

The younger woman snickered, remembering some of Gabe Sullivan's infamous attempts at cooking. "I'm not that bad. But if you're sure..." She trailed off, shrugging.

"I'm sure. Feel free to come down and join us whenever."

"Thanks Mrs. Kent. I'll be down in a minute!" She called after Martha as she left the room.

Smiling slightly as she looked around the smallish room, Chloe put down a bag full of spare belongings usually held in the trunk of her car and sat on the single bed, lightly bouncing as she contemplated the room.

After a few seconds the blonde nodded to herself and reached into the bag, pulling out her journal and a couple of pens and placing them on the plain desk that sat unused in the corner.

With a bounce in her step Chloe walked to the door, looking around the room one last time and then heading downstairs.

"Hi Clark!" She greeted the teen, smiling as he jumped, startled. "Good job on the whole awareness front."

"Chloe," He started, content to ignore the jab. "I thought you'd be back in Metropolis. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yeah and don't spare my feelings Clark." She placed a hand on her chest, faking a look of hurt. "So how was school?" She queried.

Pasting on a smile at her words, Clark felt a twinge of annoyance grasping him as he heard a hint of condescension in her words. "Fine, thanks. My friend Pete remembers you." He revealed.

She smiled. "That's kinda cool. I thought as soon as I left I'd be completely forgotten."

He shrugged halfheartedly. "Guess not." He mumbled through pursed lips.

"Are... You okay?"

He started once more as he realized that she'd gotten closer. "I'm fine." He spoke quickly, blue eyes wide as she stepped closer still.

"You sure about that? You're looking a little..." She wavered slightly, making a vague motion.

"I'm fine." He repeated.

"Okay..." She stared up at him, raising an eyebrow.

Clark shook himself out of his thoughts, stepping back. "So are you staying in town?"

"Yeah, actually Mrs. Kent offered me the spare room, so I guess we'll be seeing more of each other." She grinned teasingly.

Flushing at the unintended double entendre, he smiled awkwardly. "That's... Great. I'm gonna go get changed, so..."

"Sure, sure!" She cleared her throat and stepped out of the way of the stairs. "I'll see you later!" She chirped.

"Right." He nodded absently, hurrying up the stairs.

Staring after him as he half-jogged up the stairs, Chloe turned from the farm-boy and walked towards the front door. "Mrs. Kent, I'm gonna head into town and grab some coffee. Do you want anything while I'm there?" She called casually.

_"No, but thank you dear!" _

With a blink the younger woman stepped into the sunshine, basking in the cool breeze that immediately assailed her. "Ah!"

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><p>Pushing his shirt over his head, Clark threw the article of clothing onto the floor as he stepped into the bathroom.<p>

As he stepped into the shower his thoughts drifted to the petite blonde that would apparently be staying the night. It wasn't a secret that Clark Kent wasn't particularly great around women; Shy to a fault and not very well versed in talking to girls, his dating life wasn't exactly prolific and even his borderline romance with Lana Lang was always offset by his need to hide his secrets.

But Chloe... The blonde was attractive, and interesting, that he could concede; But something about her was just _alluring. _It wasn't her looks or her maturity (though they definitely helped), no, it was... Something _else._

He could relate to her. He paused in his scrubbing as the thought hit him. She wanted more from life than just Smallville despite being raised in the small town, she wanted truth and seemed genuinely nice. The girl next door routine was what had drawn him to Lana when he first met her, but even now that he knew her better he still had feelings for her. Could that be it? Mutual interest and physical attraction.

Clark wasn't stupid. He knew that there was something there, an almost tangible spark when they were together, the smile that bloomed when she spoke, the interest in her eyes whenever she saw him.

Something was definitely there. His thoughts whirled as he stepped out of the shower, reaching out to grab a towel and dry off. Despite that interest there was no way that something could actually happen, was there? She was older and more mature, she knew what she wanted and she definitely wouldn't hang around a small podunk town like this just to date a barely legal Kansas farm-boy.

He forcefully suppressed the confusing feelings and stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist. He froze.

Standing in front of him, Chloe Sullivan stared straight at his chest, stunned as she took in the droplets rolling their way down from his damp locks and over his wide shoulders, muscles inches away from her face and skin glistening.

"Hey." She squeaked.

"Hi." He murmured awkwardly, watching her eyes rove over him almost unconsciously. "I was just coming out of there, if you were...?" He trailed off.

"Yeah, thanks." She looked up and flashed a fake smile, dancing around him and almost slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Grimacing, Clark turned to make his way to his bedroom, unaware of the door opening just a couple of inches and a hazel-green eye peeking out to follow his movements.

When he had entered his room Chloe closed the bathroom door shut and locked it, sighing as she leaned against the slightly damp tiles. She paid no heed to the moisture on her arm, choosing instead to simply stare into space and drift away.

The past two days she had seen Clark had been... Nice. She hadn't had a great dating life up until now, but something about him, his innocence and the strength of character that shone through, it just shone like a beacon.

He was handsome, and part of her admitted that that played a factor, but she got the feeling that even if he weren't so hot she'd still eventually have felt this way, this... Fluttering in her chest?

Chloe winced, feeling the word choice too alike to something that would be used to describe a vapid princess than what would usually describe herself, but unable to refute her own poor word choice.

Independent Chloe Sullivan never had time for a love life, so it shouldn't be too surprising that she nearly clung to the first guy that showed even the slightest interest, especially someone like _him._

Shaking away decidedly less than innocent thought, Chloe stepped out of the bathroom, looking around the hall to make sure he wasn't out there, and headed back to her room.

The thoughts would bother her just as they bothered Clark, and neither of the two would find any resolution as they lay there, pondering the other.

_"Chloe! Clark! Dinner's ready!" _Chloe jolted as the Kent matriarch called up the stairs and hopped out of bed, making her way downstairs.

* * *

><p>"So, Chloe, how's your article coming along?" Martha queried politely.<p>

"Um, it's going great! I just wanna check out these Kawatchee caves and then I'll probably head back to Metropolis. Clark's showed me around the entrances to the caves but I haven't had a chance to look at these "Hieroglyphics", so that's still on my to-do list." She informed the older woman with a smile.

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the information. "Oh, so you're going to do a piece on the caves?"

Chloe scrunched her face at the thought, shaking her head. "Nah, I'm more focused on the meteor rock angle. It's interesting." She defended.

"I see. Clark? Will you be going to the caves with Chloe tomorrow?" She abruptly asked her son.

"Yeah, I'm the one showing her around after all." He said almost nervously.

"Alright, just be careful." Why did she get the feeling Martha was talking about more than just the caves?


End file.
